# Bear vs Notes Writer

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bear at 77% against Notes Writer's 45%. Bear also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bear sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Notes Writer sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bear holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6.9K and 7.3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Bear's written reviews are positive against 45% of Notes Writer's.

Bear ships an update every 9 days, Notes Writer weekly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bear | Notes Writer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447/reviews)** | [4.5 (7.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-writer-pdf-voice-ai/id1423643723/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 6.9K | **7.3K** |
| Positive reviews | **76.9% of reviews** | 45.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 230 MB | 371 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Shiny Frog Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/527618974) | [Kairoos Solutions SL](https://appshunter.io/developer/978066434) |

## What reviewers say

### Bear

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bear-markdown-notes/id1016366447)

A beautiful and simple Markdown app for capturing, writing, and organizing your thoughts and ideas. It offers a distraction-free writing environment, flexible formatting, and powerful organizational tools like tags and tasks. Ideal for anyone looking to streamline their note-taking and creative processes.

**Highlights:** Distraction-free writing environment, Flexible Markdown formatting, Tag-based organization, Task management, Note linking (WikiLinks), Web clipping extension, Apple Pencil sketching

**Features:** Safari Extension, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Pro subscription | $2.99 | per month |
| Yearly Pro subscription | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Elegant and minimalist design
- 🚀 Smooth and fast performance
- 💡 Flexible tagging system for organization
- 🔒 Secure and private notes
- 🎨 Customizable themes and fonts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Subscription required for syncing and advanced features
- 🔍 Limited search functionality within notes on iOS
- 🖼️ Issues with image handling and resizing
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes reported
- 💻 Lack of web/Windows app for cross-platform access

**Reported bugs**

- Sync issues causing note conflicts and data loss
- Cursor jumping and input issues on iPad
- Inconsistent behavior when importing/exporting content

**Requested features**

- Add password protection for individual notes
- Improve search capabilities to find text within notes
- Implement table support for more robust note-taking
- Develop a web-based version for broader accessibility
- Allow manual sorting and organization of notes


### Notes Writer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-writer-pdf-voice-ai/id1423643723)

This app is a comprehensive note-taking and PDF editing solution for mobile devices. It allows users to write, format, and organize notes, annotate PDFs, fill forms, and scan documents. The app offers advanced editing tools, powerful search, and seamless sharing and export options.

**Highlights:** Write and format notes, Annotate PDFs and fill forms, Organize with unlimited notebooks, Powerful full-text search, Document scanning, Sync with cloud services, Export to multiple formats

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Notes Writer Unlock All and AI | $2.99 | per month |
| Notes Writer Unlock All and AI | $14.99 | per year |
| Full Version Unlock Pro | $3.99 | one-time |
| Full Version Unlock Pro | $4.99 | one-time |
| Full Version Unlock Pro | $5.99 | one-time |
| Full Version Unlock Pro | $6.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Pro Full Unlock | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth writing experience
- 💡 Versatile note-taking features
- 🔒 Good privacy
- 👍 Useful for various purposes (notes, PDF annotations, etc.)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔒 Limiting free version with paywalls
- 🐛 Bugs with erasing, page management, and file corruption
- 🐛 Laggy performance and slow loading times

**Reported bugs**

- Notes randomly disappearing or getting corrupted
- Inability to recover deleted documents
- Unexpected behavior when adding/deleting pages
- Syncing issues and broken links between documents

**Requested features**

- Add more brushes and pen customization options
- Improve the clipping/selection tool
- Implement OCR and handwriting search
- Provide a Mac version


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bear free?

Bear is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Notes Writer free?

Notes Writer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Bear or Notes Writer?

Bear is rated higher. Bear averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while Notes Writer averages 4.5 from 7.3K ratings.

### Do Bear or Notes Writer have ads?

Neither Bear nor Notes Writer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bear or Notes Writer?

Bear ships an update every 9 days, and Notes Writer weekly. Most recently, Bear was updated on September 24, 2026 and Notes Writer on September 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*